Tuesday, December 25, 2007

All three men who were attacked were zoo patrons, not workers, and were attacked not in or near the tiger's pen, but outside the Terrace Cafe.

The dead man was 23 years old; the two survivors, whom a paramedic described as having wounds 'all over' their bodies, were brothers aged 19 and 18, friends of the victim.

We need to close down all zoos immediately. They're criminally inhumane to the animals, no matter how much some book might have led you to believe otherwise.

That a wild animal being treated in an inhumane fashion decides to go batshit crazy and attack and kill people should not be a surprise to anyone.

That zoos all over the world are underfunded and treat their animals like trash should not be a surprise to anyone.

That zoo cage designers continue to underestimate an enraged animal's abilities should not be a surprise to anyone.

I'd be willing to entertain the notion of wildlife preserves, but the time for zoos is up. Game over. Stop the madness. Stop crushing the souls of these animals. Stop locking them in cages. Stop trying to beat them into dank submission. They want to be free - let them be free.

One or more of the people responsible for this particular animal should go to jail for a long time.

Thoughts for family and friends of the injured and killed. Let this be the last time ever that a caged animal is set loose upon unsuspecting humans.

Move the remaining animals to wildlife preserves and sanctuaries. Close down the SF zoo, and then close down the rest of the zoos in the world.

While authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding Tatiana's escape and the tragic mauling of several zoo visitors, PETA is asking that the zoo give serious consideration to phasing out its tiger exhibit. The San Francisco Zoo has already established itself as a facility that takes animal welfare issues seriously, including the zoo's honorable decision in 2004 to close its elephant exhibit and send its elephants to a sanctuary.

There are some species--including tigers--that simply do not belong in captivity because of their extraordinarily complicated physical and psychological needs. Scientists at Oxford University have concluded that big cats and other wide-roaming predators become neurotic when they are confined. No "educational" program is worth sacrificing animals' well-being.

Given that the average tiger enclosure is about 18,000 times smaller than the animals' natural roaming range, it is simply impossible for these animals to express instinctual behaviors, such as staking out territory in dense forests, choosing mates, running, climbing trees, and hunting.

Dangerous incidents with captive big cats are not uncommon. Since 1990, there have been more than 220 such incidents involving big cats in 40 states. Four children and 15 adults have lost their lives, and more than 50 other people have lost limbs or suffered other injuries after being mauled. The animals involved are victims too--75 big cats, including Tatiana, have been killed because of these incidents.

May we please hear from you regarding this matter at your earliest convenience? I can be contacted at 757-622-7382.

Sincerely,Lisa WathneCaptive Exotic Animal Specialist

...the worst part about it all, is the dude who got killed by the tiger wasn't even doing anything - it was the other two losers (and maybe a third, who we don't know about yet). and the dude who got killed went back into the jaws of the tiger to protect his buddy - one of the kids doing the taunting. so what did the two taunters do when they saw _their_ buddy start getting attacked? they ran. that's right - they deserted the guy who had just saved their lives. awesome.